Born to the late K.C. Damodaran Pillai (North Parur) and the late T.L. Lakshmikutty Amma (Eloor) Sankarankutty Nair had his early education at the Govt. School,Udyogamandal and Raja Kesava Das H.S. Sasthamangalam Thiruvananthapuram. He took B.A and M.A Degrees from the Maharaja's University College(TVM) with History as the main subject. He secured the First Rank in the B.A History Examination of the undivided University of Kerala, followed by First class and Second Rank for M.A.
 
For a time he was a Translator Sub Editor in the State Institute of Languages under N.V. Krishna Warrier and P.T. Bhaskara Panikker. Beginning with the Govt. Arts and Science College Kozhikode, he served 17 Govt. Colleges as Lecturer, Reader and Professor, (from 1987 IInd Grade Professor) including Maharaja's(Ernakulam),Govt. Victoria(Palakkad), Govt. Women's (Thiruvanathapuram), University College Thiruvananthapuram, Govt. Sanskrit College(TVM) and Govt. College, Kasargode.
 
During 1995-97 he was on deputation to the Sree Sankaracharya University as the director of the Vallathol Institute of Kerala Studies. After his retirement from his alma mater - Uty College - he is monitoring the activities of the Institute of Kerala Studies which he founded. Dr. Nair is also the Founder Secretary of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies since 1980 till date.
 
The University of Kerala selected Dr.Nair's, "A Tragic Decade in Kerala History" for the Dr. K.P. Panikkar Prize(1977) for original research contribution to Kerala History. This study secured for him a PhD(honoris causa) from the International University(USA) the topic of his PhD from the University of Kerala is on the Administration of John Munro, the Resident Diwan of Travancore. Besides the Prof. Kochunni Panikker Award(1996) for the Best University College Teacher, Prof. Nair has won the Lepper Prize(1970), the Diwan Peishkar Shungoonny Menon Prize(1972) etc. Closely connected with many History associations and forums,Dr. Nair was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Historical Studies(Kolkotta) besides serving as the Founder Secretary of the Heritage Forum and as the Sectional Chairman of the SIHC. Dr.Nair was elected President of the Indian Associations for American Studies(2010-11) and is a senior Fellow of the International School of Dravidian Linguistics.
 
He worked as Director General, Centre for Heritage Studies, Government of Kerala, at Hill Palace from 2015 to 2018. As Director and Managing Trustee, Dr. Nair has been rendering service to the Sree UthradomTirunal Institute of Culture ever since 2013. Prof. Nair has written 15 books in English and 14 in Malayalam, as well as 200 papers on different aspects of Kerala culture. The Kantaloor Salai Centre honoured Nair for his study on this nalanda of the South. His argument to treat the 1721 revolt of Attingal as the first anti-British and first anti-Foreign revolting India is widely accepted all over India. The Indian Society of Authors, chaired by Justice K. Sukumaran, awarded Nair the covetable Prof. P.S. Velayudhan Award in 2015.